Kelly Ripa made a powerful statement on her return to Live With Kelly and Michael Tuesday, speaking about respect and thanking fans for their support.

The host was greeted with thunderous applause as she walked out on the set, then became tearful as guests continued to clap for her and would not take their seats.

'Guys, guys, guys, our long national nightmare is over,' joked Ripa at the beginning of the show.

'Look, I am not - I'm going to be completely honest. I'm fairly certain that there are trained professional snipers with tranquilizer darts in case I drift too far off message.'

She then got serious, explaining to the audience why she needed to take a week off from the job.

'I always speak from the heart. I didn't want to come out here and just like say something I might regret,' said Ripa.

'So what transpired though over the course of a few days has been extraordinary in the sense that it started a much greater conversation about communication and consideration and most importantly, respect in workplace.'

She later added; 'Apologies have been made and the best thing to come out of all of this, you guys, is that our parent company has assured me that Live is a priority.'

Ripa went on to say during her opening monologue; 'There is a commitment to this show and that the people that work here and most importantly to you, the viewers, who have watched us every day for 30 years.

She then added; 'I am thrilled for Michael. I'm thrilled for you. This is a tremendous opportunity and I couldn't be and we couldn't be prouder of you. And everything we accomplished together.'

During her remarks Ripa also thanked the fans, saying; 'The love the show of support through this bizarre time has been really overwhelming. I really - I needed a couple of days to gather my thoughts after 26 years with this company, I earn the right.'

Ripa then looked at the stdio audience and said; 'And let's be honest. I know half of you called in sick to be here. So we get each other.'

She ended by saying; 'Oh, wait. Incidentally, I just want to say one thing. My dad, who was a bus driver for 30 years, thinks we're all crazy. And I think he's right. I think he's right. So let's get this show started.'

She then walked over to Michael Strahan who stood applauding his co-host and said to her; 'I'm so happy you're back.'

He then told his co-host; 'You are the queen of morning television.'

Ripa looked incredibly unhappy and refused to crack a smile earlier in the day as she made her way to a waiting car to be taken across town to ABC Studios earlier in the day.

She was accompanied by husband Mark Consuelos and a bodyguard, and carried with her a copy of the memoir her friend Anderson Cooper wrote with his mother Gloria Vanderbilt, The Rainbow Comes and Goes.

Ripa walked off the set of the Live last Tuesday and told executives she would not be coming to work that week after becoming 'furious' when Michael Strahan told her he was moving to Good Morning America in September.

Reports began to emerge soon after claiming the pair fought constantly, faked their friendship for the cameras, and refused to speak to one another off the set.

Now, new reports claim that Strahan left the show because of Ripa's constant 'bullying.'

Sources tell TMZ that Strahan was fed-up of his co-host trying to steal all of the limelight , and that Ripa hated it when anybody showed him attention.

The source then added that her behavior added up to 'bullying,' although another source told the site that the idea Ripa bullied Strahan was 'a joke'.

Ripa went underground for most of last week refusing to take calls from ABC bosses. It wasn't until apologies came from the highest level, including ABC-TV President Ben Sherwood, reaffirmed his commitment to her and the show.

The details of Ripa and Strahan's fraught relationship came as a surprise to many, with the two appearing to be close friends both on and off the set of their popular morning show.

That is not the case however according to sources close to both hosts and at ABC, who revealed in multiple reports over the past week how bad things were at times between the pair.

Page Six spoke to a source close to Ripa who claimed Strahan's nonstop work commitments caused the former football star to throw 'temper tantrums' at work, during which he would scream at Ripa and the show's longtime producer, Michael Gellman.

The source added; 'He acted like he was in a locker room, not a dressing room.'

The source also said of the relationship between Ripa and Strahan, who by all appearances seemed to be good friends both on and off the set; 'They could not stand each other, and whenever they communicated off-camera, it was always through their reps.'

The network's decision to move Strahan comes two years after he first began appearing on GMA in a limited capacity, showing up two days a week and leaving early so he could make it back to Live in time for their 9am taping.

She has to stay with show. The word is she spends her $15 million a year salary in trying to keep up with Sterns in the Hampton's. The problem is unless she gets a $60 million dollar a year raise that's not going to happen.

It was kind of bizarre. She stood way over on the side of the stage and talked, not in her seat. I don't know, her problems with the show and ABC must go much deeper than Strahan leaving. I never watch the show, didn't know Strahan talks with a lisp.

Kelly Ripa made a powerful statement on her return to Live With Kelly and Michael Tuesday, speaking about respect and thanking fans for their support.

The host was greeted with thunderous applause as she walked out on the set, then became tearful as guests continued to clap for her and would not take their seats.

'Guys, guys, guys, our long national nightmare is over,' joked Ripa at the beginning of the show.

'Look, I am not - I'm going to be completely honest. I'm fairly certain that there are trained professional snipers with tranquilizer darts in case I drift too far off message.'

She then got serious, explaining to the audience why she needed to take a week off from the job.

'I always speak from the heart. I didn't want to come out here and just like say something I might regret,' said Ripa.

'So what transpired though over the course of a few days has been extraordinary in the sense that it started a much greater conversation about communication and consideration and most importantly, respect in workplace.'

She later added; 'Apologies have been made and the best thing to come out of all of this, you guys, is that our parent company has assured me that Live is a priority.'

Ripa went on to say during her opening monologue; 'There is a commitment to this show and that the people that work here and most importantly to you, the viewers, who have watched us every day for 30 years.

She then added; 'I am thrilled for Michael. I'm thrilled for you. This is a tremendous opportunity and I couldn't be and we couldn't be prouder of you. And everything we accomplished together.'

During her remarks Ripa also thanked the fans, saying; 'The love the show of support through this bizarre time has been really overwhelming. I really - I needed a couple of days to gather my thoughts after 26 years with this company, I earn the right.'

Ripa then looked at the stdio audience and said; 'And let's be honest. I know half of you called in sick to be here. So we get each other.'

She ended by saying; 'Oh, wait. Incidentally, I just want to say one thing. My dad, who was a bus driver for 30 years, thinks we're all crazy. And I think he's right. I think he's right. So let's get this show started.'

She then walked over to Michael Strahan who stood applauding his co-host and said to her; 'I'm so happy you're back.'

He then told his co-host; 'You are the queen of morning television.'

Ripa looked incredibly unhappy and refused to crack a smile earlier in the day as she made her way to a waiting car to be taken across town to ABC Studios earlier in the day.

She was accompanied by husband Mark Consuelos and a bodyguard, and carried with her a copy of the memoir her friend Anderson Cooper wrote with his mother Gloria Vanderbilt, The Rainbow Comes and Goes.

Ripa walked off the set of the Live last Tuesday and told executives she would not be coming to work that week after becoming 'furious' when Michael Strahan told her he was moving to Good Morning America in September.

Reports began to emerge soon after claiming the pair fought constantly, faked their friendship for the cameras, and refused to speak to one another off the set.

Now, new reports claim that Strahan left the show because of Ripa's constant 'bullying.'

Sources tell TMZ that Strahan was fed-up of his co-host trying to steal all of the limelight , and that Ripa hated it when anybody showed him attention.

The source then added that her behavior added up to 'bullying,' although another source told the site that the idea Ripa bullied Strahan was 'a joke'.

Ripa went underground for most of last week refusing to take calls from ABC bosses. It wasn't until apologies came from the highest level, including ABC-TV President Ben Sherwood, reaffirmed his commitment to her and the show.

The details of Ripa and Strahan's fraught relationship came as a surprise to many, with the two appearing to be close friends both on and off the set of their popular morning show.

That is not the case however according to sources close to both hosts and at ABC, who revealed in multiple reports over the past week how bad things were at times between the pair.

Page Six spoke to a source close to Ripa who claimed Strahan's nonstop work commitments caused the former football star to throw 'temper tantrums' at work, during which he would scream at Ripa and the show's longtime producer, Michael Gellman.

The source added; 'He acted like he was in a locker room, not a dressing room.'

The source also said of the relationship between Ripa and Strahan, who by all appearances seemed to be good friends both on and off the set; 'They could not stand each other, and whenever they communicated off-camera, it was always through their reps.'

The network's decision to move Strahan comes two years after he first began appearing on GMA in a limited capacity, showing up two days a week and leaving early so he could make it back to Live in time for their 9am taping.

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I think she also eats eggplant parm every night and also throws all the noodles away.

is this hot? she must weigh 90 lbs. it would be one thing if she had a genuine personality but everything I've seen and heard from her is about as fake as BethOno's rack.

It was kind of bizarre. She stood way over on the side of the stage and talked, not in her seat. I don't know, her problems with the show and ABC must go much deeper than Strahan leaving. I never watch the show, didn't know Strahan talks with a lisp.